British drones in Ukraine destroyed $1.2 billion worth of Russian military equipment, official says
British drones donated to Ukraine were used to remove Russian military equipment worth more than $1.2 billion, according to the British defense secretary, citing Ukrainian figures.
“Our Ukrainian partners conservatively estimate that British drones have destroyed more than £1 billion of Russian equipment,” Grant Shapps told a delegation of Ukrainian ministers at a defense forum in London on Monday, according to The Telegraph.
“Our cooperation has had an exceptional impact on the battlefield,” added Shapps.
The UK has supplied more than 4,000 drones to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Shapps said, according to the outlet, which included 30 different types of drones.
Among these, Shapps said, were surveillance drones, which he said defeated “highly capable” Russian air defense systems in Crimea, and medium-lift drones that resupplied Ukrainian forces in the above the Dnipro River with generators, food, water and ammunition.
He also discussed one-way attack drones that “make their mark” and drones that guide artillery and missiles toward Russian targets.
In March, the British Ministry of Defense announced it would deliver an additional 10,000 drones to Ukraine, as part of its latest $413 million military aid package.
Drones have played a key role in the war in Ukraine, with both sides relying heavily on them.
Ukrainian drones have been credited with destroying two-thirds of Russian tanks destroyed in the conflict, inflicted damage on Russian oil depots and contributed to Russia’s loss of a third of its Black Sea fleet.
In February, Ukraine announced the creation of a separate branch of its military focused solely on drone warfare.
The UK, alongside the US and others, supports Ukraine in its drone warfare efforts.
Last month, Shapps said he hoped to speed up production of a new high-tech laser weapon, dubbed DragonFire, originally planned for deployment by 2027, so that Ukraine could use it against drones Russians.
And last week, the British Ministry of Defense announced that it was developing a new radio wave weapon designed to take out a “swarm” of drones for just $0.12 a shot, at a range of up to 1,000 meters.
businessinsider
